Puppy Eyes
by Silent-Falls
Summary: Jaylene lost everything after the werewolf attack on her home. Her home, her parents, her sanity, all gone. Now the only thing that drives her is finding a cure. A cure that could help thousands of cursed humans get their lives back. Marauders Era. RL/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Full Summary_: Jaylene lost everything after the werewolf attack on her home. Her home, her parents, her sanity, all gone. Now the only thing that drives her is finding a cure. A cure that could help thousands of cursed humans get their lives back along with her. But what she didn't know is that there is another werewolf at Hogwarts who could be interested in her. Now if only she could concentrate...

_Author's Note_: I never thought that I would be writing about the Marauders. I don't usually like them, but this idea couldn't be ignored! I hope you enjoy this one better than my other story. I've thought this one out better, and I think it flows better than the other one. Enjoy :]

**This is set in the Marauders Era, in their sixth year. **

Chapter One

The Great Hall was once again filled with the hundreds of students after a seemingly short summer. Above their heads, the enchanted ceiling shone bright with thousands of stars and light cloud coverage. Candles also floated above them, giving off a warm, cozy glow to the large room. The sorting had just ended and everyone was socializing and digging into the welcoming feast.

Headmaster Dumbledore sat in the middle of the staff table, looking quite regal in his deep blue robes with silver and gold stars sown onto the fabric and his magnificent dark blue hat that matched, but with a lot of sparkles that twinkled in the low light like his eyes. He was enjoying his own welcoming feast and a bit of small talk with Professor McGonagall who was seated next to him, but his real attention was on the young woman who was sitting at the end of the Ravenclaw table, eating quietly.

She was alone, which the Professor realized that she had done every year, even before the incident. He also began thinking that maybe it was a good thing she was alone. It would be easier to keep her secret. His attention shifted to the Gryffindor table for a moment, and his eyes began to twinkle. Not everyone had friends like Remus Lupin.

"Albus, are you even listening to me?" Professor McGonagall asked, bringing the headmaster back to the here and now.

"I'm sorry my dear," he began, giving the professor a small smile of apology. "My mind was somewhere else."

Minerva smiled back, the action softening her features for a moment before her signature raptor gaze returned. "Were you thinking about the girl?" she asked, and when he nodded, she sat back in her chair. "I hope you aren't going to leave them alone in the same place when they transform."

"Minerva, you know me better than that. I plan to ward them into different rooms in the shrieking shack during the night. They won't be able to hurt each other, and by the time they return to normal the wards will have faded," Dumbledore replied. He took a bite of his mashed potatoes and hummed with pleasure. "The house elves never disappoint me."

The older woman scowled. "I still don't like it," she said, taking a bite off her own plate. "Do they know about each other?"

"With their fantastic senses, I don't doubt that they know... Oh!" Dumbledore exclaimed happily as desert suddenly appeared on the table. "My favorite part!"

Minerva chuckled as the old man loaded his plate with lemon flavored cake.

He had such a sweet tooth.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note_: Sorry about the _huge_ delay. My notebook got a virus on it, which is where I keep all of my chapters. Unfortunately, the fjucking people at the computer store didn't save ANY of my files. All my pictures, my chapters, my music, everything is gone. SO I have to start from scratch. I had chapters 1-5 written already, and the third chapter had been 6 thousand words. All obliterated. Isn't that nice? Can you tell I'm pissed?

The only good thing that comes out of this is that I can start over again and fix some issues I've been having.

Chapter 2

The welcoming fest was over, and all the Ravenclaws were safely tucked into their beds in the dormitories. All except one. Jaylene Kather quietly descended the spiral staircase that led up to the girl's dormitory and into the common room. Her bare feet were cushioned comfortably on the thick, dark blue carpet underneath her. Bright moonlight streamed in from the numerous large, arched windows that ran along almost the entire circular length of the common room.

The dim outlines of numerous cushy chairs, tables, and a few bookcases were illuminated to her eyes. Her gaze drifted upwards, once again admiring the beauty of the common room ceiling. It was much like the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall, minus the moving parts and the realness of actually looking up at the sky. Yet the most striking feature of the Ravenclaw common room was the life sized statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. She was a regal looking young woman with the infamous diadem atop her stone head which sparkled even at night. No one knew where the original diadem was. It had been lost long ago.

The mystery didn't interest Jaylene's mind this night though, and it hadn't since she was a first year. In her arms was a thick book, a book about a certain magical creature she had become obsessed with over the summer. Before the incident, werewolves were just another animal she needed to know to pass the O.W.L's in her Care of Magical Creatures class. Now they meant more to her than anything.

After sitting in one of the comfortable chairs by the dormant fireplace, the young woman tucked part of her thick, dirty blond hair behind one ear, adjusted her glasses, and opened the book on her lap.

Jaylene Kather didn't stand out in a crowd. In fact, she was a wallflower. The students knew of her, but not who she really was. They knew she was one of the hardcore Ravenclaws. She was nice, and helped anyone who had trouble with their homework. Her thick, dirty blonde hair grew down to the small of her back and was usually in two braids that hung over her shoulders. Freckles were sprinkled across her nose and cheeks as well as on her shoulders. The school uniform didn't suit her figure well, and made her look heavier than she really was. That, coupled with her glasses, she looked quite frumpy.

But no one knew what she was like when she wasn't busy studying, what she was like when she was frustrated or angry... They didn't even know if she had a sense of humor.

Once she had been concerned with what others thought of her. But Jaylene didn't care what anyone thought of her anymore. Besides, she was too impatient to make friends and since it was her sixth year at Hogwarts it was kind of pointless now. Not that it mattered what anyone thought anyway. Not now. A monster was a monster, no matter what.

There was something living inside of her that came out every month at the full moon. It preyed on the innocent and hungered for others blood. It took over her human mind and turned it into a mindless beasts. It took over her and made her into something that she was not.

For she had become the subject of her reading. She had become a werewolf.

The change had been over the summer, a violent night that ended in ashes and the burning remains of her life, her parents, and her sanity. The rest of vacation was spent at St. Mungo's. Her burns were treated effectively and swiftly. She bore no scars from the fire. The bite, on the other hand, had taken almost three times longer to heal. Though there was no bandage for the wound anymore, she still had to rub a thick cream over the scar to stop it from becoming irritated.

The first transformation had been horrible. When she came to the next morning her room was practically in pieces.

A representative from a werewolf orphanage had come during her time at the hospital and talked to her about her changes. Since she was not yet legally an adult she would have to stay at the orphanage until she turned seventeen. Headmaster Dumbledore had also visited her. She would be welcome at Hogwarts so she could further her education and graduate. He also told her of a secret place beneath the Whomping Willow tree that led to the Shrieking Shack at Hogsmeade where she would be able to transform and be safe. It helped that he was now adding wards to make it doubly protective.

Jaylene had been practically numb through the entire process.

Not that she wasn't grateful for the help. The logical side of Jaylene knew that her reaction was understandable, yet a part of her worried constantly what would happen in the future. In one night everything that she held dear to her was destroyed. Before her life was all set out in front of her. She knew exactly where she was going, but now...

Jaylene briefly closed her eyes. She hated herself, of what she had become. She was evil, a permanent dark smudge on a clean, white plate. The next full moon was in a week. It terrified her to her core.

And she was alone.

* * *

Morning sunshine glared into the Ravenclaws' faces as they crossed the common room to head down to breakfast. Jaylene had barely slept the night before, even after all that food at the feast. She now had a horrible headache and was in no mood to talk to anyone. One look at the ceiling told her that today would be sunny all day. Great.

Luck was not on her side it seemed, for as soon as she piled sausages on her plate, one of her room mates walked over and sat opposite of her.

"Good morning Jaylene," Diane Telle greeted, smiling. She was a pretty girl with short brown hair and brown eyes. She was also a prefect, and wore her badge proudly. Jaylene spoke to her more that she did any other person, but in no terms was she an actual friend.

Jaylene gave the girl a slight nod and an enthusiastic grunt as she chewed her food. Ever since getting bitten the girl had found herself eating bigger portions of food, particularly meat, and a lot less of dairy and even less of vegetables and fruit. It somewhat concerned her, but it was probably because she was new to being a werewolf.

"I slept like such a baby last night, I always do after the feast," Diane continued, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Did you?"

"Yes, though I have a headache," she half lied. No one knew that she spent long hours of her nights in the common room when all was quiet.

Before Diane could say anything more, the soft murmuring of tired students was interrupted by the owl post. Birds of every shape and size flew in from above, hooting and carrying parcels to their masters. Jaylene herself looked for the giant, ancient bird that belonged to her family... now just her. Edmund hooted softly as he landed somewhat stiffly and heavily on the table, some of his gray feathers coming off his wings. Tied to his leg was the Daily Prophet, which Jaylene had forgotten she had subscribed to.

"Hello Edmund," she greeted, picking off a part of her toast and handing it to him. He nipped affectionately at her fingers and hooted. She then relieved him of his burden. "Now be nice to the younger owls Ed. I don't want Filch to yell at me if you've been causing any trouble," she warned. Ed had quite the temper and his patience was thin to everything and everyone not connected to her family. The girl thought he was getting a little senile though. Once she had seen him hooting angrily at her wastebasket.

The owl puffed out his chest once and then took to the air.

"How old is he now?" Diane asked.

"Um, old," the girl replied, looking at her copy of the paper. Her brown eyes welled up with tears as she glanced at the morgue section, but she didn't read it. Her parents wouldn't be in this issue.

With the owls hooting away, a new noise was introduced into the Great Hall. All eyes turned towards the back of the Great Hall and the Slytherins faces instantly turned sour.

"Oh no, I almost forgot about them," Diane groaned as the four Gryffindor boys took their seats, still bringing attention to themselves.

Jaylene once again gave a Diane a grunt. She didn't really care. There wasn't anything interesting in the paper though.

"They get away with everything. And even though Remus is one of us and one of them you would _think_ that he would help us prefects out. But no," she continued. "Ugh, just look at them."

The girl put down her paper and turned to look at the Gryffindor table. They were making a lot of noise after all. Ah, there was James Potter, one of the leaders of the group. Although this early in the morning his hair was at its messiest, he was still rubbing his hand through it. Sirius was seated next to him, laughing loudly at what James just said. On the other side of the table, she could see the back of the heads of Remus and Peter. She couldn't tell what they were doing.

As she was about to turn away, Remus turned suddenly and looked straight at her. Their gazes locked. They were far away, but she could feel something curious about him. Something dangerous. Something that felt... familiar underneath his inn-

"Are you making eyes at _Remus_?" Diane's voice interrupted Jaylene's observations, but did nothing to stall the panic that was rising with each breath she took.

"No," Jaylene replied crossly. She needed to get out of here.

Diane just smiled, looking as if she had found some juicy gossip as she watched Jaylene eat the rest of her breakfast in a hurry. "We can talk about this later," she said slyly.

The girl gathered her things and left the table, just catching Professor Flitwick handing out schedules. She was still thinking about the undeniable connection that had happened between her and Remus as she left the Great Hall. She was shaking, she realized. It hadn't been a positive reaction.

Why?

Was he a...? No, there was no way. She was the only werewolf at Hogwarts.

* * *

Remus was puzzled. A strange feeling shuddered through his body, his heart began to pump with increasing speed. The hairs on the back of his neck rose. And the feeling was all centered on that Ravenclaw girl. His eyes followed her figure as she left the Great Hall with interest. He had never reacted to a girl in _this_ way before. It was like she was barging in on his territory. And that made _no sense_.

"Earth to Remus!" Sirius said loudly, causing Remus to turn back. Sirius handed him his schedule, but his mind was not centered on classes right now.

Peter seemed to notice the change in Remus's mood. "Is there something wrong Moony?" he asked, his watery eyes darting between his friend and his plate. Today he had woken up ravenously hungry.

Remus shook his head to clear it. "It's nothing. Just someone I saw that I never noticed before," he replied.

Wormtail looked confused. "That's odd," he said and turned back to his breakfast.

"Thank Merlin we don't have potions with the Slytherins!" Sirius exclaimed, gray eyes roving over his schedule. "The Hufflepuffs are much nicer, though the lady selection could be better."

"That's true," Peter mumbled.

"How could any woman compare to my Lily?" James sighed, eyes straying over to the end of the table.

"She's not yours yet," Sirius reminded him, raising his eyebrows and grinning over at him.

"But she will be mine!" James exclaimed, earning looks from around the table.

Remus and Peter looked at each other and laughed. It was a definite maybe. Remus stole a quick look in the direction where the girl had gone and he sighed softly. Something had changed at Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the huge delay, but I've got major writers block, but I think this came out alright. Plus there was _another_ virus on this computer, but it disappeared. I don't care how it did but I'm glad. Also, thanks to the people who reviewed! I appreciate all your comments :]

Chapter 3

_ Her skin was burning, itching, crackling in the heat._

_ Sinister black clouds rose to cover the night sky, sending the surrounding area into darkness. The silence was interrupted by the cacophonous sounds of sirens and was accompanied by screams of terror. Hurried footsteps and shouts of urgency was barely heard. The house was burning._

_ Jaylene was dimly aware of her surroundings. At the moment, her world consisted of the hard floor beneath her, the shocking enormous pain that sprouted from her side, the growing wetness around her that boiled in the heat. She gasped in hot air, immediately regretting the action as her throat burned. Her coughing fit ended when she opened up her eyes. _

_ Everything was red and hazy. Her glasses had been smashed and were lying in front of her face. Her gaze traveled upwards, tears cutting through her soot covered cheeks. Somewhere above her something groaned, like wood about to break under great strain. Panic made her heart hammer, sweat beaded on her forehead as she tried to move, inch by inch across the wooden floor. _

_ The girl suddenly stopped, a low wail rising in pitch as the ripped pieces of flesh that had once been her parents came into view. She struggled towards their bodies, her wail of anguish rising until that was all she could hear._

_ A loud noise cut off her scream as the roof caved in and her world descended into darkness._

_ … burning, itching, crackling... _

Jaylene's eyes shot open, her mouth frozen in a silent scream. The girl sat up in bed, scratching her arms as she woke from the nightmare. Eventually, her breathing slowed until it was even, her body ceased shaking, the goosebumps on her arms vanished. _It was all a dream Jay... just a nightmare_, her mind whispered to her, easing her hammering heart. _A very real nightmare..._

She looked around, noticing that everyone was still asleep, and she sighed softly. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead and dripped down her neck, her chest. She was soaked. Jaylene quietly got out of bed, grabbing a clean set of clothes from her small dresser and went to the showers. The warm water washed away all the dirt and grime of the day before, and the remnants of her dream as well.

When she returned to the dorm to grab a hair tie she glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 9:00. That wasn't too bad. It _was_ later than she usually got up. Today was the first weekend of the school year, and one look out the window told her that no one was going to go outside today. It was raining.

Though she had mostly gotten over her nightmare, Jaylene was still shaking slightly from fear. It had all been so real... The night had repeated itself in her dreams, and that shook her. She swallowed, her head jerking to look behind her as if her assailants were there to finish the job. Jaylene quickly put on some shoes and headed out of the Ravenclaw house. She wasn't in the mood for breakfast but she did want to pay a visit to Edmund. Seeing his familiar face would help calm her jitters. Still, as she passed through the hallways she couldn't help but feel as if someone was following her even though she rarely encountered anyone this early in the morning...

The spiral staircase that lead to the owlery gave off an echo of her footsteps as she climbed. Soft hoots and wings flapping greeted her as she entered the cold, stone room. Droppings and skeletons of unfortunate mice littered the floor. Owls of every kind were roosted in cubby holes, some sleeping, some awake, some even having a crunchy snack.. They acknowledged her presence by giving her a small hoot.

Edmund gave a particularly enthusiastic greeting when he saw her. He glided down to her outstretched arm and nuzzled her face. Jaylene smiled, returning his affection by giving him a small owl biscuit she had brought just for him. "I see you're doing well... maybe a little too well," she said softly, poking him gently in his stomach. He gave her a shocked look before ruffling his feathers and giving her an irritated hoot. She chuckled, leaning in to peck him on the head.

There was an old, wooden chair to the side that Jaylene sat on. It was better than sitting on the dirty floor. Honestly, these owls were so lazy."I had another nightmare," she confessed, grabbing Ed's attention. He hooted softly. "They always come before the full moon... as if reminding me about it... as if I need reminding," she added bitterly. "You're the only one I have left Ed," she whispered hoarsely, tears bubbling up behind her eyes.

Thunder boomed in the distance, masking her quiet sobs. Edmund struggled for breath as the girl crushed him against her chest. Jaylene sniffled a few minuets later, trembling as she recovered from her break down. The stress was just too much. Her professors had loaded them all with so much homework the past week that it could fill a small filing cabinet. For the first time in her Hogwarts history she wasn't at the top of her classes. The disappointment in herself only added to the pain and depression she had felt since summer.

Her mood was as solemn as the dark gray sky outside. She took off her glasses to wipe the fog from the lenses and stood. Edmund hooted and flew up to his cubicle. Jaylene fished for another biscuit in her pocket and handed it to him. Her own stomach grumbled, demanding breakfast, and although she didn't want to see anyone at the moment, she was pretty hungry...

As Jaylene exited the room, she unexpectedly collided with someone heading in. They both let out a surprised yelp and tumbled to the ground, Jaylene ending up sprawled across the boy.

"I-I-I'm so sorry," Jaylene stuttered, cheeks reddening from embarrassment. She lifted her head and torso, eyes squinting at the boy's blurry face.

Remus sat up, groaning a little and rubbing his head after helping the girl off of him. Just his luck. He had hoped to not run into anyone so he could deliver his letter and go back to the dorm before his head would burst. With the full moon coming in a couple of days, he once again found himself smelling things that he wouldn't normally notice, his sight and hearing were better as well, and the changes from senses overload left him with a huge migraine.

Jaylene felt a little worried when he didn't say anything right at the moment. She started to feel along the ground, hoping that she would locate her glasses before she did anything else embarrassing. "U-um, m-my glasses a-"

At the sight of Jaylene, Remus's breath was caught in his throat. It was _her_, the Ravenclaw girl that was so odd. He found her glasses on the other side of him and picked them up as well as his letter. Instead of handing them to her though, he put them on himself. "Here you go," he said, watching with slight amusement that her cheeks darkened to a deeper red.

The cool metal slipped onto the bridge of her nose and her surroundings instantly become clearer. "T-thanks..." she said faintly, realizing who she was talking to, who she had bumped into. "U-um..."

"You're Jaylene Kather, right?" Remus asked, getting to his feet. He held out a hand to her and watched her take it hesitantly. She had been somewhat of an obsession over the past week. They had only two classes together, and at those times he had felt and acted so abnormal that his friends were starting to worry. There was something about Jaylene that made his heart hammer and his second skin to itch like crazy. She wasn't particularly good looking, but for some reason she felt... he couldn't even think of a word that properly described what he was feeling.

"Y-yes, I am," Jaylene said, a little voice in the back of her head wondering why they were still holding hands. "And you're R-Remus Lupin..." her nervous voice trailed off as a gust of wind blew through the tower, carrying a peculiar and familiar scent that she had never thought, in all her life, would ever smell at Hogwarts. Her brown eyes widened at the same time as his. The gentle clasping of hands turned into a death grip.

"_Werewolf._"

The word was exchanged in a whisper between the two of them.

The blood drained from Jaylene's face, leaving her skin almost white, her vision grew dimmer and dimmer until she collapsed at his feet.

Crisp, lightly scented linens...

The bitterness of medicinal potions...

Rustling of clothes...

Chocolate...

Jaylene opened her eyes to see a blurry world. She reached to the side to find her glasses and put them on while sitting up. It didn't surprise her that she was in the Infirmary, but what did surprise her was the person sitting next to her bed.

Remus was looking at her with concern in his blue eyes, and he smiled slightly at her when her gaze met his own.

"Glad to see you're awake Miss Kather," Madame Pomfrey greeted, coming up and pointing her wand at Jaylene's head. The tip glowed white for a second, and the nurse made a noise that sounded like a mix of good and bad review. "You're alright enough to leave, but I'm going to give you a potion for the headache. Would you like some as well Remus?" she asked kindly.

Remus switched his smile to the medi witch and nodded. "Yes please."

"Excellent."

All was silent when the two students exited the Infirmary. Jaylene nervously fidgeted with her robes and looked down at her feet sullenly.

"Have some chocolate," Remus said suddenly, producing the sweet from his robe pocket. His voice was quiet and kind as he held out the chocolate bar to her.

"So that's what I was smelling..." Jaylene replied just as quietly, taking the candy from Remus's hand and putting it to her lips.

"Yes. For some odd reason I could always keep chocolate down. The smell isn't terrible either, and it's common and cheap," Remus seemed to realize that he was rambling and his voice faded away. "Let's walk."

Silence again as they wandered aimlessly through the halls.

"I..." Jaylene faltered for a moment, then she continued. "I'm s-sorry I fainted on you."

"I'm sorry I didn't catch you in time. I was afraid that you would have had more than a headache," Remus replied quickly.

Jaylene's cheeks reddened. "You dropped me."

"I was... sorry."

The girl looked up at Remus, cheeks still red. "No it's alright. I was surprised too... obviously." Why was she so calm about all of this? She had just met another werewolf at Hogwarts, collapsed in a dead faint, and here she was, walking alongside him and chatting. Remus was right about the chocolate though. It was soothing her upset stomach and her fears. Remus still looked worried though, and so Jaylene broke off the rest of her chocolate bar and handed it to him. "Here, take the rest."

Remus started and eyed the candy before taking it back and putting it to his mouth. He smiled at her as he chewed. "Thanks."

"Moony! There you are mate!"

Remus bit back a groan as he turned to face his friends, Sirius, Peter and James. Sirius and James were grinning widely while Peter sulked in the background. He glanced at Jaylene and bit back another groan. She looked so nervous...

"We were wondering where you went off to," Sirius continued, flashing his eyes at Jaylene for a moment and winking.

"Yeah. When you didn't come back to the tower we gathered our search party and well, here we are!" James chimed in, also glancing at Jaylene. "And who is this Remus?"

Jaylene's cheeks grew red again and she looked down at her shoes.

Remus glared warningly at them before speaking. "This is Jaylene Kather-"

"Oh the Ravenclaw!" Sirius exclaimed. "Remus talks a lot about you, you know," he continued, ignoring Remus's glares.

Jaylene's startled gaze flew up to Remus and then down again, cheeks darkening to a deeper red.

"Shut up Padfoot you're scaring her," James said, eyes glowing mischievously.

"Sirius, James," Remus practically growled, getting another startled look from Jaylene.

"I-I need to go now, R-Remus. T-Thanks f-f-for the chocolate," the girl stuttered, hurrying from the four boys as if demons were on her heels.

"And now she's gone," Remus said tiredly. And he thought he was getting along pretty well with her... that is until his friends showed up.

"Aw, don't look too down Moony," James said. "She's only in the tower next door."

"On the other side of the school," Sirius chimed in.

Remus sighed angrily, turning away from them. "You don't understand!" He began to walk towards the Gryffindor tower, the others trailing behind him.

Peter, James, and Sirius looked at each other. They had rarely seen Remus like this, and while they could blame it on the full moon messing with his emotions, something about their friend's attitude made the mirth leave their eyes.

"What is it Moony?" Peter asked quietly, sniffling.

"There's another 'furry little problem' walking around Hogwarts."


End file.
